Thursday, August 11, 2016

Days 25-27 Exploring South of Anchorage, Seward & Homer


Decided to get back in the car this morning and head back down along the Turnagain Arm and on to Seward and Homer. Another beautiful drive on the way down – a little rainy but hey, we’re from Seattle, we don’t let a little rain get in our way.
Pulled into Seward around noon and spent some time at a wonderful Aquarium/Marine Rescue Center there. Lots of great exhibits and marine animals. Great underwater viewing areas for the seals, sea lions and salmon. Once we were done with our tour through that facility, we came outside and it was a beautiful day. The clouds were completely gone and we had a great lunch outdoors right on the water.
Craig decided to keep going on to Homer since we were down this far. It was another 100+ miles but we were in the car and making fairly good time so he thought it was doable and we could cross that one off our list. It was a beautiful drive to get there. Both mountain and water scenery. Three large volcanos in view for part of the trip, breathtaking cliff top views on the way dropping down into Homer.
Once we got there, we were absolutely captivated. The Homer spit has the feel of a real fishing village. We spent some time looking around and decided that we really wanted to spend more than an afternoon there. So we turned around and went back to get the rv and come back for a few days. By the time we got back to the rv in Anchorage, it was about 11:30 pm. We are pretty much early to bed and early to rise people but this forced us to experience the far north twilight which was quite beautiful and it was barely dark when we pulled in.
First thing the next morning, Craig wanted to get in a round of golf at the golf course near us in Anchorage before we left. So he got up early in the morning and golfed 18 holes. He was joined on several of the holes by a momma moose and her baby but managed to get back in one piece.
So back in the rv and back down the Turnagain Arm for the 3rd time in as many days. Good thing it’s so beautiful and we enjoyed the ride/drive each time. We got into Homer late in the early evening. It was much slower going back with the rv over the mountains than when we did it in the car. Our reward when we got there was an oceanfront spot for our rv and a great spot for watching both the beach and the fishing going on. The silvers are running and the fishing is good for both salmon and halibut so there was lots of fishing action to watch. I thought that Craig was going to break down and rent some fishing equipment but the reality that we have a very small refrigerator in the rv and we couldn’t possibly take home a whole fish kept him from doing it. He did enjoy many hours of watching though.
The fishing hole has an interesting story. The pool is artificial, dug out there to attract locals and tourists. In the spring every year, they stock it with baby salmon (fry) who imprint on this spot and then return to it when they come back to mate. Seems like a bit of a dirty trick to me that they tell these salmon to come back here to be caught in a dead end pool. Oh well, the people who are fishing, the seals, sea otters and the eagles all like the idea just fine. And it’s interesting to watch the tide come in and out through the narrow opening that connects it to the sea.
The next day, it was pouring. After enjoying beautiful warm weather the previous days, we were hoping it would happen again but overnight a big storm blew in and several times we were awakened by the pounding rain on the rv roof. We still enjoyed our day in Homer getting on the local shuttle and being shown around the town of Homer and the split and again, watching fishing. We had a yummy seafood chowder lunch and drove out to a local winery where I very much enjoyed a tasting. Their specialty is fruity wines. I really liked them and bought a few bottles to bring back home.
Waking up the 3rd morning to more rain, we decided to pull up stakes and move on back north towards the Alaska Hwy which meant driving back through Anchorage (we didn’t stop this time) and then up towards Wasilla & Palmer. (No we didn’t see Sarah Pailin but several times while we were in Anchorage we heard jokes about being able to see Russia.) Once we left the coastal area, the weather cleared up quite a bit and the drive was pleasant.
Craig walks through Happy Valley lookout back to the car. Happy Valley was really up on a mountain so I'm not sure why it was called a valley but it sure was beautiful!


View down from the top of the cliff to the beach below.

I was standing on the other side of this cliff and taking a picture of the overhang when Craig pointed out to me that I was probably standing on an overhang also. Yikes - it's a long way down. Glad it didn't give way underneath me!

A beautiful view along the way.



The motorhome towing the car back to Homer.

Beautiful view along the way. Love the fireweed in the foreground. It is all over Alaska and adds a lot of color to the landscape.

Welcome to Homer!

Love our rv park right on the ocean bay about midway on the Homer Spit.

Best view ever from our rv parking spot!

The fishing hole on Homer Spit.

Every direction you look in Homer there is an amazing view of mountains, glaciers, volcanos.

Another view of the fishing hole. The tide is in and the fish are biting! If you have a keen eye, you might be able to see a seal or two in this picture too!

Wow - everywhere you look, it's gorgeous!

Great for rock hunting.

An eagle seeing if there are any fish to be stolen off the boat or from someone fishing on the beach.

This eagle was watching some of our fellow campers cleaning halibut in their camping spot.

Homer Spit at low tide.
All in all, Homer makes the top list of favorite places on this trip. I would go back there again! But for now, onward and northward to catch the highway back to home. Life is good!

No comments:

Post a Comment